Perhaps we are fortunate in the new ruler of Thailand  “General Prayuth Chan-ocha, army chief, used a televised address to urge people not to panic and said the military was taking over “to restore …”  , I could write more except that this quote came from a Google search which led to warnings about the veracity of the site.

Our leader obtained his Doctorate some years back on the subject of non-traditional threats and roles of the military, or something to that effect.

Presently soldiers sitting doing nothing with weapons at the ready can be seen stationed under makeshift tents at conspicuous points in Chiang Mai.

Meanwhile vast areas of army managed land are suffering a huge invasion of Panicum maximum the highly flammable fast growing, introduced grass also known as Guinea grass. The army’s horses have disappeared from view and its elephants have long retired to tourist amusement centres, and not one infantry man appears to be detailed to address this non-traditional threat. as the grass spreads along roadsides and into forest areas.

Last dry season much of the infested areas burnt thereby exacerbating Thailand’s greatest security threat, Global Warming, or as we say in Thai  โลกร้อน   (Hot Earth).

Your ideas on how to manage Guinea grass are most welcome, as we fear for the future of a decade’s worth of forest restoration efforts in Chiang Mai.